Garment clasp



NOV. 25, 1941. STARK 2,264,009

GARMENT CLAS P Filed Sept. 23, 1 959 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES ATENT ()FFl-CE GARMENT CLASP Ludwig Stark, West New York, N. J.

Application September 23, 1939, Serial No. 296,215

6 Claims.

This invention relates to garment clasps adapted for use with garters, suspenders and thelike. The object of the invention is to provide a construction which shall be neat and compact having few parts, and easily assembled.

Another object is to provide a clasp in which the jaw elements are held in operative relationship without the use of pivot pins or the like.

Another object is to provide a garment clasp in which wire springs and the like are eliminated and an easily constructed fiat spring of great durability is employed.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent by reference to the following specification and drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the invention it being understood however, that changes in details of construction can be made without departing from the appending claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of the improved clasp;

Figure 2 is a side view of the clasp, Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of the clasp;

Figure 4 is a side view of the clasp as shownon the preceding figures with the movable jaw member open;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 1;

Figure 6 is a view of the blank from which the rear stationary jaw member is formed;

Figure 7 is a view of the stationary jaw showing the spring member in place therein;

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line '88, Fig. 7;

Figure 9 is a view of the spring member;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the movable jaw member; and

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the locking member.

It will be understood that the drawing is on a slightly enlarged scale and that the clasp can be made of any suitable dimensions.

The stationary jaw member I is made from a flat blank as shown in Fig. 6 of brass or other suitable metal and this is bent upwardly along its side edges to form flanges II, IIa which have extensions forming outwardly projecting ears I2, I2a which are provided with the cam slots I3, I3a.

The upper end of the blank I0 is formed as shown in Fig. 6 with an additional pair of laterally projecting ears I4, I la and an upper end extension I and these ears and the extension are folded forwardly and then downwardly as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and the extreme end of the extension I5 is turned inwardly to form the downwardly projecting tongue I5a adapted to hold the spring member I6 and the movable jaw member I! to be presently described.

The lower end Ilia of the blank is bent forwardly and is shaped to form a gripping member and if desired, the edges of same may be serrated or provided with teeth.

It will be seen that the flanges I I, Ha and the forwardly bent portions I5 and I0a form a housing for the spring I6 and that this spring projects upwardly below the pocket I5b formed by the inner walls I5, I5a of the blank. This pocket I5b receives the tongue Ila of the movable jaw member I1.

The spring member I6 is preferably made to overlie the inner surface of the housing previously described, but of course may be made narrower than the housing and if so, it will be held in place by its ends coming in contact with the flanged ends I5 and 10a of the blank I0. In any event, the spring member is suitably formed to exert tension on the movable jaw I1. A preferred form of spring is shown in Fig.9 which comprises a rectangular piece of sheet steel which is laterally bowed giving it an arcuate form so that the center Ilia thereof projects upwardly to engage the outer surface of the bend I'Ia of the movable jaw member.

The movable jaw member I] is formed with an upwardly extending upper end forming the bent tongue Ila and has a downwardly extending gripping portion I'Ib which may be serrated or provided with teeth. The-spring I6 having been assembled to the stationary jaw member, the assembly being shown in Fig. 7, the movable jaw member is added by merely pushing the tongue Ila thereof underneath the inwardly projecting tongue Ida of the stationary jaw I0 as shown in Fig. 5. The spring I6 pressing outwardly on the outer surface or heel of the bend of the tongue IIa tends to force the jaws I0 and I1 apart.

The jaws I0 and I! having been thus assembled as just described, the locking member I8 is attached thereto by springing the cam ears I8a, .I-8b

of said member inwardly, and then bending them outwardly until they freely fit in the slots I3, I3-a of the stationary jaw. The ears I to, IBb will now overlie the movable jaw I1 as shown in Fig. 3 and hold said movable jaw in place regardless of whether the clasp is in open or closed position.

By reference .to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the ears I8a, I812 ride over and are held in locked position by the fiat portion I3b of the slots and when in the position shown in the figure, the movable jaw is forceddown against the stationary jaw I0 and the jaws are adapted to grip anything placed between them. I

By reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that when the locking member I8 is moved downwards as indicated by arrow I9, that the ears IBb .ride upwardly along the flat portion I3b of the slots I3, I3a. This permits the movable jaw I! to open as shown in the figure.

The rear ends of the slots I3, I3a cooperate with the rear edges of the cam ears I8, I8a to give a camming action between the locking member I8 and the stationary jaw III in order to securely hold the movable jaw Il in place as shown in Fig. 2, and the shape of these slots I3, I3a is such as to permit an easy and free movement of the looking member from open to closed position. When in a closed position, the locking member I8 is prevented from extreme forward movement by the ears I4, l4a.

It will be observed that the spring I6 tends to open the clip when the locking member is in the position shown in Fig. 4 by reason of the fact that the bowed portion I 5a of the spring projects upwardly and tends to press the movable jaw Il outwardly, the motion of the jaw being limited by the end Ila thereof which is confined within the pocket lib at the upper end of the stationary jaw I0 and that when the clip is in locked position shown in Fig. 2, the pressure of the movable jaw Il on the spring IB tends to flatten out the bowed portion I6a thereof so that the full tension obtainable from the inherent tension of the whole width as well as the length of the spring member is utilized thereby obtaining a long-lived spring positive in action and which can be made from a single piece of fiat metal rolled with the bowed portion Ifia therein as shown, and then out to proper length, thus enabling this part to besimply and easily constructed. This eliminates the difficulties inherent when wire springs are used, which wire springs must be plated or 2 of which are readily punched, formed and assemi bled with a minimum of labor and material.

As the edge of the tongue I5a engages the sharp bend in the tongue Ila, the movable jaw member I l rides on what may be termed a knife edge and this knife edge support extends the full width of u both jaw members which, by this construction are interlocked at this point and held in position by means of the spring I6. This provides a large wearing surface and eliminates any lateral twist or play the movable jaw member Il which is at all times yieldingly but properly supported by the spring I6, this motion-being limited to that incident to approaching and receding from its associated member ID.

- An added feature of importance is the fact that the tongue Ila is enclosed within the pocket I51) and even if the clip is violently bent and distorted, this arrangement prevents the outward bending of the movable jaw member Il which is limited in its motion by the position of the tongue Ila in the pocket aforesaid. The tongue Ila can be bent to adjust or position the amount of the opening between the jaws of the clip thereby insuring that all clips will open a uniform distance, which adjustment is difiicult if not impossible to make in other forms of construction.

What is claimed is:

1. A clasp comprising cooperating jaw members, a rectangular spring of arcuate cross section between said members and supported on one of them and having its convex surface in engagement with the other of said members and tending to urge said members apart, and a locking member engaging said jaw members and in camming relationship therewith and adapted to move said jaw members to closed position and lock same against the tension of said spring.

2. A clasp comprising a stationary jaw memberhaving a flat body portion with upstanding flanges along its sides and ends to form a spring housing, the upper end portion of said memberi being turned over to engage and hold a movable, jaw member in movable operative position, a flat spring lying within said housing and extending into and below said upper end of said member, a movable jaw member having a portion extending under said upper end portion of said stationary jaw member and engaging said spring, and a locking member supported on said stationary jaw member and adapted to press said jaw members onto engagement against the tension of said spring.

3. A clasp comprising a one-piece stationary jaw member having forwardly extending apertured sides forming the side walls of a spring housing and an end portion constituting movable jaw engaging means, a rectangular spring of arcuate cross section in said housing, a movable jaw member engaging said first member and overlying said spring and means for clamping said members together, said means having cam ears extending through said apertured sides of said first member and overlying portions of said second member and adapted to force the latter toward the former against the tension of said spring.

4. A clasp comprising a pair of jaw members having interlocking parts with contacting hearing surfaces extending substantially the full width of said members, a spring interposed between said members, and locking means including cam ears overlying one of said jaw members and supported on the other of said members for bringing said members together against the tension of said spring and locking said members in closed position. v

5. A clasp comprising a one-piece jaw member having a pocket formed therein, a movable member having a tongue projecting into said pocket and adapted to limit the relative movement of said members, gripping surfaces on said members, a rectangular spring of arcuate cross section tending to separate said gripping surfaces while holding said members in operative relationship, and a locking member movably secured to one of said members and having cam ears engaging the other of said members and adapted to lock said members together and in engagement with material gripping therebetween.

6. A clasp comprising a stationary jaw member having side walls at its upper end formed with openings, a movable jaw member having an upper end cooperating with the upper end of said first member whereby said movable jaw is limited in its movement in respect to said first jaw, a loop member having side portions extending along the outer. faces of said side walls of said first member and end portions engaging into said openings and extending into camming contact with said movable jaw member, and a rectangular spring of arcuate cross section between said members supported on one of them and tending to urge said members apart.

LUDWIG STARK. 

